Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences

Research at HIMS

Chemistry is an interdisciplinary science focused on design, synthesis and analysis of molecules. The core objective of HIMS is to understand and predict the behaviour of molecules in increasingly complex processes and systems.

To reach these goals, research at HIMS is organized in four themes operating at the forefront of their respective fields and providing a unique synergy for designing, creating, characterizing and understanding molecular systems, to address current important societal and industrial challenges.

The research organization of HIMS can be appropriately depicted as a tetrahedron interconnecting the four themes. AC: Analytical Chemistry, CC: Computational Chemistry, MP: Molecular Photonics, SC: Sustainable Chemistry. All four themes share molecular sciences as a binding factor, as is reflected in the name of the institute.

The HIMS portfolio reflects a healthy balance between publicly funded curiosity-driven research and application-oriented research with private (co-) funding. All four themes play significant roles in research initiatives at a local, national, and international level, involving academic, industrial, and other societal partners.